Skip to main content

Ownership


I was at the gym this morning (I know, I was surprised too) and as I was leaving the locker room, I noticed two large clumps of paper towels on the floor near the entrance, several feet from the nearest trash can. Although I didn’t see who had left them there, I was disappointed by both his paper-towel-hooping skills along with his general lack of concern in leaving a mess. But it is what happened next that really struck me.

As I was putting on my headphones and wondering how someone could miss a large trashcan by four feet, I saw an employee of the gym walk into the locker room. He looked down at the balled-up paper towels and deliberately stepped over them. Here’s what’s even worse, he is one of the managers of the club. Now, I realize picking up trash probably isn’t in his specific job description nor is it likely a “key result area” of his performance reviews. However, as a manager and leader within the organization, it certainly falls under his greater purpose of providing a clean, safe and welcoming environment for members to work out and improve their health.

What I witnessed was an unfortunate lack of ownership. This manager didn’t create the issue, wasn’t specifically tasked with coming up with a solution (like bending over as he walked by, picking up the two clumps and tossing them in the nearby trashcan – I am sure he would need to bring that before some committee to plan all that out), so he decided it wasn’t his problem. With managers like that, it’s no wonder this gym has ridiculously high turnover and is staffed with entire teams of employees who refuse to take ownership or responsibility for any issue that doesn’t directly fall under their assigned scope.

I believe we all have the responsibility to create a better environment for those around us as well as an opportunity to enhance the experience of life for those with whom we come in contact. But it often means stepping out of your immediate circle of duty to do the good you are able, but not specifically asked or required to do. Sometimes that means picking up the “trash” someone else leaves behind, so others coming after you don’t have to deal with it. This is taking ownership in the blessing of life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Art of Intentionality

  “Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make you.” – Richie Norton   I am not even sure who Richie Norton is, but I love that quote! I imagine a ship drifting out to sea, pushed around by the wind and the waves. No course of direction, yet the captain is frustrated when the ship ends up dashed against the rocks, trapped on a sandbar or marooned on an inhospitable island. It is easy to complain when life takes us where we do not want to go. But who is really to blame if we have never set our sails to align us along an appropriate course? Do we blame the waves, wind and the weather? Or should we blame the captain of the ship? It is our life and our ship. We must set our sails with intentionality and determined choices. Otherwise, we are doomed to aimlessly drift along according to the choices and decisions of others. 
Post a Comment
Read more

Hasty Hares

We live in a world full of hares. People darting from one thing to another. Always looking for a shortcut. Constantly seeking a quick fix. Ever searching for a hack. And more than anything, they want it NOW! Speed seems to have replaced diligent planning and patient determination. It’s all about quick results, immediate feedback and instant gratification. People seem to be less concerned with the direction they are headed than how fast they are moving. They don’t know where they are going – and are quite possibly moving in the wrong direction – but at least they’re making good time! But the pace and aimless effort catches up. They get jaded and burn out. Or they simply end up “lost.” They fail to notice that movement isn’t progress. They don’t consider that sheer velocity, without control and accuracy, is dangerous and destructive. They forget the tortoise wins. Every. Single. Time. “It matters not how slowly you go. It only matters that you do not stop.” – Confucio...
Post a Comment
Read more